


Defining Chaos

by divinecrone



Series: A Path Less Travelled [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 06:38:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13161339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divinecrone/pseuds/divinecrone
Summary: A few people mentioned that they were enjoying the story, but having a little trouble following some of what was going on due to the amount and variety of mythology included in this series.So, here’s a quick reference to various things in my seriesA Path Less Travelled. Additional items will be added as needed or requested.SPOILER ALERT:Because there will be definitions of terms, places, etc, there may be spoilers ahead.LAST UPDATE:June 10, 2018





	Defining Chaos

If you’re somewhat familiar with the various terms and myths I’ve been mentioning, Loptr explains a fair amount of what's going on and any variations I may have added (intentional or otherwise). But she also tends to bounce about and dodge onto the next topic without always finishing the last. It means she’s staying true to who she is as a Chaos child, but if you don’t have any background for a particular topic, you may be getting just enough information to become even more confused.

As a voracious reader who is fascinated by various mythologies and religions, plus having lived in different regions and countries (former military brat), I don’t always realize what is(n’t) considered ‘common knowledge’. Add in global communities and personal interests / experience… and ‘common knowledge’ kind of goes out the window.

At any rate, here’s a reference sheet for the legends, mythology, and other things for my little world. It will be expanded as new things come up or upon requests for more information. Let me know if you have any questions or notice something that I missed. _Cheers!_

 

** Words / Terms Used: **

I’ve tried to group things in a way that makes sense. Please let me know if you have trouble finding anything or think something should be added or moved.

 

Miscellaneous

  * 10-4 = police 10 code, acknowledgement / affirmative
  * Algiz (rune) = protection, divine protection, sanctuary
  * ASL = American Sign Language
  * Azrael = Angel of Death
  * CERN = hadron supercollider in Switzerland
  * Charybdis = in poem The Odyssey by Homer, a whirlpool that sucks in and vomits out the sea three times a day
  * Bag of Holding = magical item in Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roleplaying game that can hold objects larger than its size
  * Dissociative identity disorder = previously called multiply personality disorder
  * Foo Dogs = Chinese guardian lion statues located at the entrance of buildings and temple
  * Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse = Conquest (Pestilence), War, Famine, and Death
  * FUBAR (acronym) = f*cked up beyond all recognition / repair / reason
  * Hail Mary = a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary that consists of salutations and a plea for her intercession. Or, less commonly, Hail Mary pass: a long forward pass in football thrown into or near the end zone in a last-ditch attempt to score as time runs out – often used figuratively
  * Jacob’s Ladder = high voltage traveling arc, or climbing arc, machine which uses a high voltage power source to send an electric arc up two wires; notable appearance as a movie prop in Frankenstein’s lab
  * Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog = character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  * Kismet = fate, destiny
  * Kitsune = Japanese word for fox, often translated as fox spirit due to prevalence in Japanese folklore; magical shapeshifters, number of tails indicates relative age / wisdom
  * Mama-san = (in Japan and East Asia) a woman in a position of authority, especially one in charge of a geisha house or bar; slang use = female pimp
  * Manifest Destiny = a future event accepted as inevitable. In the mid-19th century expansion to the Pacific was regarded as the Manifest Destiny of the United States
  * Padawan = Jedi apprentice
  * Raziel = Keeper of Secrets / Angel of Mysteries
  * Skylla = in poem The Odyssey by Homer, a sea monster with six heads that eats men
  * Skynet = in the movie Terminator (1984), Skynet is the A.I. who is responsible for starting a nuclear holocaust. Famous line from movie: “Come with me if you want to live.”
  * SNAFU (acronym) = situation normal, all f*cked up
  * St Jude = patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes
  * Tafl (game) = a family of ancient Germanic and Celtic strategy board games played on a checkered or latticed game board with two armies of uneven numbers, representing variants of an early Scandinavian board game called tafl or hnefatafl in contemporary literature
  * TMI (acronym) = too much information; used as a response to an inappropriate disclosure of personal information, or as a reaction to an overload of information



 

Marvel

  * Abraham Erskine = German scientist during WWII. Creator of original super soldier serum
  * Adamantium = fictional metal alloy, practically indestructible
  * Arnim Zola = biochemist working for Nazi’s & Hydra during WWII
  * Johann Schmidt (AKA ‘Red Skull’) = Nazi General & Hydra leader during WWII. Archenemy of Captain America, also received super soldier serum
  * Malekith = villain in Thor:The Dark World, dark elf
  * Rabum Alal = alias used by Dr Victor Von Doom
  * Tony’s birthday 2010 = takes place during Iron Man 2, Tony throws his ‘last’ birthday party while dying of palladium poisoning and gets drunk wearing the Mark IV armor, Rhodey uses the Mark II armor to subdue Tony and then leaves with the armor (later dubbed War Machine)
  * Vibranium = fictional metal of extraterrestrial origin
  * World Security Council (WSC) = international council formed to function as an oversight for SHIELD



 

Irish

  * Aos Sí = faery
  * Máthair = mother
  * Saighdiúir = soldier
  * The Morrígan = triple goddess associated with war and fate
  * Tuath Dé / Tuath Dé Dannan = pre-Christian Gaelic deities, later became aos sí



 

Italian

  * Adesso = now
  * Bambina = endearment meaning baby (girl)
  * Bambino = endearment meaning baby (boy)
  * Nonna = grandma
  * Tesoro = treasure



 

Russian

  * Shutnik = idiot
  * Tetka = aunt
  * Zvyozdochka = endearment meaning little star



 

Old Norse (ð pronounced like ‘th’)

  * Alfheim = one of the Nine Realms, home of the elves
  * Amma = grandmother
  * Angrboða = Jötunn sorceress and shapeshifter, Loki’s first wife, mother of triplets Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel by Loki; in this world, she was killed by Thor after Odin told him a Jötunn had kidnapped and imprisoned Loki’s illegitimate children (any marriage not acknowledged by Odin would not be considered legitimate in Asgard), Thor swore to a dying Angrboða upon Mjølnir that he would protect her and Loki’s children which is how they ended up in Asgard despite Odin’s protests, Thor was aware the children Odin punished were merely copies (as was Odin, which is why Gleipnir was on Sleipnir, not Fenrir), Thor went along with the fiction to keep the real triplets safe, the triplets have mixed feelings about Thor but do consider him to be family
  * Asgard = one of the Nine Realms, the Golden Realm, home of the Æsir tribe of gods
  * Blood Eagle = ritualized form of execution where ribs are severed from the spine and lungs pulled through the opening to form wings
  * Dróttningkin = little queen, dróttning (queen) + kin (little, diminutive used to create endearments)
  * Einherjar = in Marvel they are an elite class of warriors in Asgard, in war they are Asgard’s army, in peace they guard the royal palace; in Norse mythology they are those who died in battle and reside in Valhalla until Ragnarök
  * Ergi (noun) or Argr (adjective) = insult denoting effeminacy or other unmanly behavior, third gender assigned to magic workers; link to additional info below as it’s a complicated subject
  * Faðir = father
  * Fenrir = son of Angrboða by Loki, siblings Jörmungandr and Hel, foretold to eat Odin during Ragnarök
  * Fífl = fool, idiot
  * Ginnungagap = primordial void that existed before the creation of the cosmos, Old Norse "yawning abyss"
  * Gleipnir = unbreakable chain forged by the dwarves of six impossible things (the sound of a cat’s footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, the sinews of a bear, the breath of a fish, and the spittle of a bird), it is as thin and soft as a silken ribbon and was made to hold until the coming of Ragnarök; in mythology, used to bind Fenrir after previous chains forged by the Aesir failed, Fenrir suspected trickery when he saw the chain and demanded a guarantee he would be released, Tyr placed his hand in Fenrir’s mouth while he was bound and it was bitten off when the Aesir refused to release the wolf
  * Gungnir = Odin’s spear, Old Norse "swaying one"
  * Heimdall = guardian of Asgard, son of nine mothers, possesses foreknowledge as well as keen eyesight and hearing; in Marvel, activates and directs the Bifrost using his sword Hofund, capable of seeing and hearing nearly anything that happens in the Nine Realm; in Norse mythology, his home is located where the Bifrost meets heaven, he keeps watch for the onset of Ragnarök while drinking fine mead, Heimdall and Loki are foretold to kill each other in battle during Ragnarök
  * Hel = daughter of Angrboða by Loki, Queen of Helheim, siblings Fenrir and Jörmungandr, youngest of triplets
  * Helheim = one of the Nine Realms, located in Niflheim, land of the dead
  * Hliðskjálf = Odin’s throne, allows him to see across the Nine Realms; in this world, Hliðskjálf does not permit lies while sitting on it
  * Holmgang = a duel to settle disputes
  * Huginn = Thought, one of Odin’s ravens, brother is Munnin
  * Jörmungandr = son of Angrboða by Loki, Midgard (World) Serpent, siblings Hel and Fenrir, middle child of triplets, foretold to be killed by Thor during Ragnarök (Thor dies of the serpent’s poison)
  * Jötunheim = one of the Nine Realms, home of the Jötnar (singular Jötunn) or Frost Giants
  * Laufey = former king of Jötunheim, married to Fárbauti, biological parent of Loki, Helblindi, and Býleistr
  * Midgard = one of the Nine Realms, home of the humans, Earth
  * Móðir = mother
  * Muninn = Memory, one of Odin’s ravens, brother is Huginn
  * Muspelheim = one of the Nine Realms, home of the Eldjötnar or Fire Giants
  * Narfi = son of Sigyn by Loki, killed by his brother Vali when he is turned into a wolf
  * Niflheim = one of the Nine Realms, frozen world, original home of the Jötnar
  * Norns = three sisters (Urðr, Verðandi, & Skuld) who rule the destiny of gods and men, roughly correspond to the Fates
  * Ragnarök = final battle of gods and giants, Norse Apocalypse
  * Seiðrmann = male practitioner of magic
  * Sif = noblewoman of Asgard; in Marvel universe, warrior goddess, childhood playmate of Thor and Loki, fighting companion and friend of Thor, romantically linked to Thor after the end of his relationship with Jane Foster; in Norse mythology, goddess associated with earth, married to Thor, according to some references she had two children by Thor and one child by Odin; in both, known for her golden hair which was cut by Loki who commissioned a wig made of gold from the dwarves, when Sif put on the wig, it turned into black hair; in this world, Loki did not cut Sif's hair, but was unable to provide an alibi so the event led to the same results
  * Sigyn = Loki’s second wife, mother of Narfi and Vali by Loki, both sons died; in this world, Odin ordered Loki into a political match to repair damage done to his reputation by fathering monstrous children on a Jötunn sorceress, the marriage was dissolved after Loki was released from a decades long punishment during which the copies of his children were removed from Asgard (Fenrir bound until Ragnarök, Jörmungandr cast into Midgard’s ocean, Hel cast into Helheim where Lady Death made her queen)
  * Sleipnir = son of Loki by Svaðilfari, Odin’s steed, gray eight-legged horse capable of crossing realms, Loki’s eldest child conceived while Loki had taken the form of a mare in heat to distract Svaðilfari
  * Skatten min = endearment meaning my treasure
  * Svaðilfari = horse owned by disguised and unnamed Jötunn who built the walls of Asgard
  * Svartalfheim = one of the Nine Realms, uninhabitable, used to be home to the dark elves
  * Urðarbrunnr = Well of Destiny
  * Vali = son of Sigyn by Loki, turned into a wolf that immediately ripped apart his brother Narfi; in this world, killed by Loki and Thor to stop him from attacking anyone else
  * Vanaheim = one the Nine Realms, home of the Vanir (including Frigga), a group of gods associated with wisdom, fertility, and the ability to see the future
  * Vísendakona = wise woman, sorceress
  * Wyrd or Urðr = destiny
  * Yggdrasil = mythological tree at the center of the cosmos, which connects the Nine Realms
  * Ymir = first creature to come into being in Norse creation myths, father of the giants



 

Faery / Fae

  * Changeling = faery child left to be raised in place of a stolen human child
  * Halfling = child of mixed species couple, in this case human and Sídhe
  * Seelie = Golden (Summer) faery court
  * Sídhe = faery from either court
  * Sluagh = The Wild Hunt, wild magic / creatures not directly connected to either Sídhe court
  * Summerlands = lands of the dead, but also refers to a magical realm; in this world, it is the home of the Tuath Dé which also contains the lands of the dead for their followers
  * Underhill = reference to faery world, entered through faery mounds / hills
  * Unseelie = Shadow (Winter) faery court
  * Wildwood = woodlands full of wild magic, traditional home of the sluagh



 

Green Man

  * Ancient nature deity, MANY versions/variations exist
  * Most often associated with life/rebirth, ‘balanced’ or neutral deity (neither good or evil)
  * Depicted as a face in the foliage or made up of foliage, usually male
  * Three most common types of images found are categorized as: Foliate head = completely covered in green leaves; Disgorging head = spews vegetation from its mouth; Bloodsucker head = sprouts vegetation from all facial orifices



 

 **SPOILERS:** Original Characters / Locations

  * Bob (kraken) = Loptr’s friend since childhood, lives in a giant aquarium in her personal ‘pocket realm’ and guards her possessions in additional to his own horde, first appears in Chapter 6 of _Breeding Chaos_
  * Elliot (dragon) = Loptr’s friend, rescued from Hydra in Chapter 10 of _Breeding Chaos_ , expert in metals, contracted consultant for Stark Industries
  * Kit (kitsune) = Loptr’s friend, child of the Demon Fox, owes Loptr a life debt, most commonly appears as an eight-tail fennec fox, first appears in Chapter 17 of Breeding Chaos
  * Loptr Lysmythe (AKA Ragnarök) = manifestation of Chaos, daughter of Anthony Stark and Loki Friggson
  * Temple of Fates = temple at top of an undisclosed mountain with a village at the base of the stairs, home of the Fates (manifestation seen matches quester's beliefs), first mentioned in Chapter 14 of _Breeding Chaos_ ; questers, called Fate’s Chosen, climb stairs and are either slain on the steps or reach the top, those that enter the temple are assumed to leave through one of the many doorways (portals) inside as they don’t return, only one person has ever been known to come back down the steps from the temple



 

** Additional Links: **

if you’re still curious, here are a few places to start. Just mind the rabbit holes. ;)

<https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki>

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man>

The ads spaced through this article are somewhat vexing, but it's informative and well-written, so just be careful not to click on them while scrolling if you decide to give it a go. <http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/unraveling-nature-and-identity-green-man-002620>

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_Dé_Danann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_D%C3%A9_Danann)

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classifications_of_fairies>

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluagh>

The entirety of Captain America's Mark Twain speech from the comics. Loved the prose, not so thrilled with the character. <http://thecaffeinatedmind.blogspot.com/2010/06/captain-america-quotes-mark-twain-and.html?m=1>

 

Norse endearments:

<https://blogs.transparent.com/icelandic/2015/02/11/how-to-romance-a-viking/>

 

Viking insults, just because ;)

<https://jameserich.com/2012/07/20/how-to-insult-your-friends-like-a-viking/amp/>

 

Norse concepts of destiny:

<https://norse-mythology.org/concepts/destiny-wyrd-urd/>

 

Norse creation myth (Ginnungagap):

<https://pantheon.org/articles/g/ginnungagap.html>

 

Additional info on 'ergi' / excerpt from book on shamanism:

<http://www.northernshamanism.org/ergi-the-way-of-the-third.html>


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